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Witten: Steinhausen Castle
Witten: Steinhausen Castle
- English -
The Steinhausen Castle is a medieval castle complex, built in the 13th century by the Lords of Witten as a court seat.
First documented in 1297, the castle was almost completely torn down in 1434 by knights from Dortmund, who had come across the river Ruhr with 700 foot servants, 50 riders and 12 wagons, and only rebuilt in a makeshift manner.
The Witten family died out without male heir. By marrying the heiress Jutta von Witten with knight Lutter Stael von Holstein zu Hardenstein, bailiff to Bochum and Wetter, the knight's seat "Steinhus" came to the Stael von Holstein family in 1464 and remained in their possession for almost three centuries.
Lutter's grandson Hardenberg Stael von Holstein, lord of Steinhausen and Dahlhausen, rebuilt the castle in 1529. Robert Stael von Holstein had the tower with a pointed roof and the stepped gable house erected in 1607, as evidenced by the Stael von Holstein coat of arms above the arched door and the inscription: "robbert stael von holstein thumler zu hildesheim built me".
Robert Werner Stael von Holstein, lord of Steinhausen, Dahlhausen and Martfeld, had the chapel built at Steinhausen castle in 1648, where the grave slabs of the family members can still be seen today. The last male offspring of the Stael family from Holstein zu Steinhausen - Wolfgang Robert Leopold, lord of Steinhausen, Martfeld and Lövenich - died in 1729.
His daughters Helena Margareta and Maria Helena, both canonesses to Asbeck, transferred in 1732 (as transaction inter vivos) Castle Steinhausen and the mines in the Ruhr Valley, that had been operated by the Stael von Holstein family since the 17th century, to baron Friedrich Christian von Elverfeldt zu Dahlhausen, grandson of Robert von Elverfeldt and his wife Anna Kunigunde Stael von Holstein zu Steinhausen.
Levin von Elverfeldt built the classicist Steinhausen castle in 1810. The landmark of the old tower on the gable house, the pointed tower, no longer rises above the river Ruhr today. The top was removed due to mining damages and rotten beams.
In the following centuries Steinhausen castle changed hands several times and was converted into a romantic manor at the end of the 19th century. Little reminded that this is a former hilltop mediaeval castle.
The historicist chapel stands on the northeast corner of the manor house. Basically from 1648, it underwent a fundamental redesign in 1904 according to the then prevailing taste of Art Nouveau.
Inside you can see old grave slabs from the 15th to 18th centuries, including the Hardenberg Stael grave stone from Holsteins. The chapel at Steinhausen was built on rocky ground under Robert Stael von Holstein in 1648.
The crypt under the chapel, with archaic cube capitals, was used as a private burial site for the Dünkelberg family until about 1920. The chapel has been lovingly restored and is now accessible again.
The chapel of Steinhausen castle probably had two bells, cast around 1200 and 1500 AD. On one of the bells was the coat of arms of Hardenberg and Stael von Holstein and the inscription "St. Antonius beg for us".
The bell can also come from the former Hardenstein Castle. The Antonius chapel of Hardenstein Castle is mentioned in a document in 1363. Heinrich von Hardenberg died in 1439, the last Hardenberger at Hardenstein Castle. By marriage, the castle came to Stael von Holstein in 1529.
The chapel is not consecrated, but a small altar, a noble cross, saints pictures and pews invite you to pray. Or at least to rethink and switch off. An even older, quieter place of rest lies under the chapel - the crypt, built in 1642.
Until the 1950s or 1960s, the Oberste-Frielinghaus family also had their bodies buried here. The coffins were then transferred, the grave slabs still hang in the chapel. The crypt is now empty and will soon be renovated. But it will remain a devout place of silence.
Today, Steinhausen Castle houses a beautiful restaurant with outdoor dining in Witten-Bommern above the river Ruhr. In the courtyard, a beer garden invites you to enjoy the sunshine between old walls. Weddings are also possible at Steinhausen Castle.
A stonemason can be found in the old stables today. The old gable house is used by the Local Heritage Society, which also strives to preserve the historic buildings and rebuild the old spire.
In the castle park, which invites you to look, marvel and linger, there is a worth seeing permanent exhibition of Shona sculptures from Zimbabwe. Most pieces can also be purchased. Highly recommended!
Zimbabwe's contemporary stone sculpture as the youngest art form in Africa has spawned an incredible number of talents in its sixty years of history. SHONA - ART is concerned with building an economic bridge between Europe and Africa.
All kinds of African animals can be found in and around the castle. You won't see giraffes, elephants and birds in this abundance anywhere in Germany. The stone sculptures from Africa are exhibited in the castle courtyard and in a gallery building (coach house).
Zimbabwe is that country between Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique, which is worldwide known for its abundance of animals and the Victoria Falls. The outside area can be visited, but, apart from the gallery, the buildings not.
Nevertheless, Steinhausen Castle with its restaurant and permanent exhibition is a popular destination in the Ruhr valley. Free parking is available on the street "Auf Steinhausen", uphill to Steinhausen Castle.
The narrow street ends directly at Steinhausen Castle. The gigantic metal animal sculptures are unmistakable: elephants, lions, giraffes, buffalos and other animals are watching all over the place.
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Der Chobe Nationalpark ist bekannt dafür, dass man dort das ganze Jahr über ausgezeichnet Wildtiere beobachten kann. Der Park hat eine der größten Wildtierpopulationen des afrikanischen Kontinents und hat einen Umfang von circa 11.000 km². Der Park befindet sich entlang des Chobe Flusses, der Botswana von Namibia abgrenzt.
The Chobe National Park is known for its superb game viewing all year round and it has one of the largest populations of game on the African continent. The park comprises an area of approximately 11 000 km² and lies along the Chobe River, which borders Botswana and Namibia.
- Deutsch / German -
Schloss Herten
Das Wasserschloss Herten liegt nicht weit entfernt vom Stadtzentrum, in der ehemals größten Bergbaustadt auf dem europäischen Kontinent.
Mitten im Ruhrpott, inmitten eines großen und sehenswerten Schlossparks, mit uraltem Waldbestand, liegt dieses Kleinod aus dem Mittelalter. Das spätgotische Schloss und der weitläufige, 30 Hektar große, Schlosspark laden zu einem Besuch mit der ganzen Familie ein.
Das Schloss Herten wurde 1376 erstmalig urkundlich erwähnt. Die Familie derer von Herten, Lehnsmänner der Abtei Werden, fand im Jahr 1286 mit Gerlach von Hertene erstmals urkundlich Erwähnung. Ihr damaliger Wohnsitz wird im heutigen Stadtkern Hertens bei der Pfarrkirche St. Antonius vermutet.
Im 14. Jahrhundert errichtete das Rittergeschlecht ein festes Haus am Ort des heutigen Schlosses, das 1376 als Lehen der Werdener Reichsabtei urkundlich erwähnt wurde. Das Schloss Herten wurde zunächst als kleine Wehranlage gebaut. Noch heute sind die Reste eines Bergfrieds sichtbar. In der Folgezeit erfolgten Ausbau und Umwandlung zum repräsentativen Schloss.
Durch Heirat gelangte das Haus Herten Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts an die Herren von Galen. Deren Erbtochter Elseke brachte es 1488 durch ihre Heirat im Jahr 1476 an ihren Ehemann Dietrich von Stecke. Anna von Stecke heiratete 1529 Bertram I. von Nesselrode, Erbkämmerer der Herzogtümer Jülich und Berg.
Dieser war – wie zahlreiche Mitglieder des Hauses Nesselrode – ein zu seiner Zeit politisch einflussreicher Adliger und von 1539 bis 1556 kurkölnischer Statthalter im Vest Recklinghausen. Ab 1530 ließ er die Burg als geschlossenes Kastell mit Eckpavillon-Türmen ausbauen. Die Türme stehen heute noch.
Nahezu 300 Jahre lang blieb die Anlage im Besitz der Familie von Nesselrode. Nach wechselvollen Jahren, einer Belagerung im Jahr 1593 und einem Brand beinah ein Jahrhundert später (1687), wurde das Schloss Herten bis 1702 durch den Freiherrn Franz von Nesselrode wieder aufgebaut. Freiherr Franz von Nesselrode-Reichenstein wurde 1702 von Kaiser Leopold I. in den Reichsgrafenstand erhoben.
Als der letzte männliche Vertreter der Hertener von Nesselrode, Johann Franz Josef von Nesselrode, 1826 starb, gelangte das Schloss über Johanns Tochter Charlotte an die Familie derer von Droste zu Vischering, die noch im gleichen Jahr ebenfalls in den Reichsgrafenstand erhoben wurde.
Die Mitglieder ihrer Hertener Linie nannten sich in der Folgezeit dann Droste zu Vischering von Nesselrode-Reichenstein. Die Familie bewohnte die Hertener Anlage bis kurz nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg. Nachdem sie aber ab 1920 auf Schloss Merten in Eitorf residierte und damit Schloss Herten als Wohnsitz aufgegeben hatte, wurde es dem Verfall anheimgegeben.
Das Schloss blieb bis zum Verkauf an den Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe im Jahre 1974 ungenutzt und verfiel zusehends. Bis 1989 erfolgte die Sanierung des Geländes, mit der es auch für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht wurde.
Im westlichen Teil befindet sich die LWL-Klinik Herten für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, die auch einzelne historische Gebäude des Schlosses nutzt. Erreicht wird die Hauptburg über eine Brücke von der Vorburg, die wiederum von einem Wassergraben umgeben ist und Remise und Kapelle beinhaltet.
Die Hauptburg präsentiert sich heute als spätgotischer Ziegelbau mit geschlossenem Innenhof. Die vier diesen umgebenden Gebäudeteile haben die Form eines Trapezes. Umgeben ist die Burg mit ihren charakteristischen Ecktürmen von einem Wassergraben, einer Gräfte. Das Schloss ist teilweise zugänglich, bietet zum Beispiel eine Gastronomie, wird darüber hinaus aber vor allem durch die Klinik genutzt.
Nachdem der Schlosspark 1974 aus seinem über 50-jährigen Dornröschenschlaf erweckt wurde, ist er als Volkspark fester Bestandteil im Leben (nicht nur) der Hertener Bürger. Zwischen 1687 und 1702 wurde der Park vom strengen Barockgarten zu einem Landschaftspark nach englischem Vorbild umgestaltet. Graf von Nesselrode engagierte für die Gestaltung des Schlossparks sogar den Düsseldorfer Hofgärtner Maximilian Friedrich Weyhe.
Der kleine Pavillon im Schlosspark bekam den Namen "Tabakhäuschen" von den zwei Grafen Riaucourt – Söhne einer Gräfin Nesselrode – die im Schloss Herten Unterschlupf vor der französischen Revolution fanden. In diesem Gartenhäuschen genossen sie vor dem Kamin die neue Mode des Rauchens, welche im Schloss verpönt war.
Die 1725 gebaute Orangerie wurde von einer Balustrade mit damals 12 Statuen verziert. Sie beherbergte das Gartencasino, es wurden höfische Feste gefeiert, es wurden Orangen- und Zierbäume aufgezogen und sie bot Platz für eine der schönsten Kameliensammlungen.
Inzwischen steht hier leider nur noch eine Ruine. Fehlende Instandsetzungen und Bergbauschäden setzten dem Gebäude zu, das in den 1970ern nur zum Teil saniert wurde. Nach wie vor ist die Rekonstruktion der überraschend großen Orangerie im Gespräch.
Nachdem 1920 die Adelsfamilie von Nesselrode nach Schloss Merten an die Sieg zog, wurde der Park nur noch für besondere Feste und Prozessionen geöffnet. Für die Natur und die Tiere waren es hinter den Mauern erholsame Jahre. Der Park verwilderte, aber auch das Wasserschloss Herten und die Orangerie verfielen mit der Zeit.
Als der Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe 1974 das Grundstück mit dem Schloss kaufte, waren erhebliche Sanierungsmaßnahmen notwendig. Allein für den Park wurden zwischen 1974-1976 über 2 Millionen DM investiert. Auch er wurde mit dem Erwerb durch den LWL erst zugänglich gemacht.
Es finden sich im Schlosspark Herten botanische Kostbarkeiten aus der ganzen Welt – Chiletannen, Japanische Scheinzypressen, Kuchenbäume oder auch Trompeten- und Taschentuchbäume. Die Sternmagnolie vor dem Schloss gehört zu einer der ältesten Westfalens.
Der Park wurde abwechslungsreich mit Wiesen, Alleen, Plätzen oder auch einem Rosengarten strukturiert und lädt zum Spazieren ein. Rund um das Hertener Schloss gruppieren sich seltene Baumriesen, alte Wälder, Narzissenwiesen, der Irrgarten und das Freiluft-Theater.
An die malerischen Wassergräbe schließen sich die Schlossteiche an, die besonders durch ihre Artenvielfalt an Wasservögeln beeindrucken. Leider haben sich hier Unmengen an invasiven Gänsearten (Nilgänse und Kanadagänse) angesiedelt, die sich offensichtlich pudelwohl fühlen und prächtig vermehren.
Entsprechend verunreinigt sind die Grünanlagen und auch die Teiche werden durch diese Überpopulation stark in Mitleidenschaft gezogen.
Der Eintritt in den Schlosspark ist rund um die Uhr möglich und kostenlos!
Witten: The Nachtigall colliery (Zeche Nachtigall)
- English -
The Nachtigall colliery is located directly on the river Ruhr in Witten. The museum is part of the Westphalian Industrial Museums and shows 300 years of industrial history. The pioneering era of mining comes to life at the Nachtigall colliery in the Witten Ruhr valley.
The location is ideal: right next door is the mine and field railway museum on the former Theresia colliery and on the other hand the very scenic Muttental opens up. As is well known, this was the cradle of Ruhr mining and many remains still testify to this time. This epoch comes to life again on a remarkable tour of mining history.
The farmers in this area had been digging for coal for their own use for centuries. The Nachtigall colliery was founded in 1714. This year, two farmers were given the right to mine coal in the Coal Bank in Hettberger forrest. For a long time, the coal mining was limited to digging holes, the so-called ping. However, damage to the land by ping extracting partially affected agriculture considerably.
In 1743, about 29 years later, the Baron von Elverfeldt acquired the right to mine hard coal for the Nachtigall colliery. The coal was mined in small businesses with three to six men. In the middle of the 18th century, the first tunnel was built.
Water entering the tunnels was discharged through stollen to the river Ruhr. In addition to the water supply, such stollen also discharge the mine gases, supply fresh air and sometimes also transport coal.
The miners often keep goats and pigs for self-sufficiency and grow vegetables, potatoes and fruit. Plums in particular are dried into dried fruit, which often gives workers the name "Prumenkötter".
Since then, the coal mine has been called "Nachtigall am Hettberg". Winders had been used for a long time to extract coal. The drive is initially provided by humans and horses.
At the turn to the 19th centuries, the transition from tunneling to civil engineering was made at the Nachtigall mine with the help of steam engines. This was only possible through a merger of the mine owners, who could raised the capital for the changeover in this way.
The Nachtigall colliery was one of the first to move from tunnel construction to civil engineering. In 1829 a 6 km long railway for coal transport with horse drive was built. It leads to the coal deposition, south of the road to Wuppertal and the Bergisches Land as well as the Siegerland, to supply the ironworks.
To the north, the Muttental railway leads to the coal deposition on the river Ruhr. As early as 1780, the Ruhr area was navigable from Herdecke to the Rhine - a great relief for coal transportation, which had previously been carried out over long distances with wheelbarrows and horses.
Steam engines soon solved the water drainage problem. They also make it possible to mine coal below the water level of the river Ruhr. In 1832 the first underground shaft of the Nachtigall mine was sunk.
In order to be able to raise the huge amounts of capital required for this, several small mines in the area of Nachtigall come together and establish a company. In 1844, the Nachtigall colliery was the largest in the Ruhr area. In the middle of the 19th century, around 300 to 500 people worked here at depths of up to 450 meters.
A bridge over the river Ruhr, the Nachtigall Bridge, connects the Nachtigall colliery to the Witten-West train station. The connection lies on the Bergisch-Märkische Railway, which opened in 1848.
Coal transport is further facilitated as a railway line runs through the Ruhr Valley from 1874. A separate freight station will soon ensure smooth transportation to and from the coal mine.
In 1890, around 880 miners worked at the Nachtigall colliery. In order to keep the coal price stable and to avoid overproduction, the production volume for the individual mines in the Ruhr area is quoted.
The larger collieries north of the river Ruhr buy up the almost unprofitable collieries in the Muttental in order to be able to mine larger quantities overall. In addition, the coal in the Witten area, unlike the fat coal in the northern areas, is not suitable for coking. In some seams, the supply is also exhausted.
In 1892, the operation of the Nachtigall colliery was stopped after a major water ingress. Most of the miners were housed in the mines of the northern mining region or in other industrial companies. The cessation of mining operations and water management on the colliery is followed by the flooding of the civil engineering mine. However, some pits and tunnels remain water-free, which will be important later on.
The site was then taken over by the entrepreneur Wilhelm Dünkelberg. Dünkelberg had ring ovens built for a steam brick factory above the mine shaft. Brick production on the nightingale began in 1897 as a successor to the mining operation.
She used a dry tunnel through the mountain for the direct transport of raw materials from the quarry to the brick kiln, in this case a double ring kiln with the noticeable and distinctive chimney. The brick press designed by Dünkelberg becomes an export hit - it is sold as far as China.
The brickworks on the grounds of the Nachtigall colliery closed in 1963. A car recycling company and a wreath binder moved in - but only for a short time. The buildings are decaying more and more, the colliery houses are demolished in 1966. In the 1970s, the past was remembered and awareness of the importance of industrial culture began to develop.
In 1983 the landscape association Westfalen-Lippe took over the Nachtigall colliery to the Westphalian Industrial Museum (WIM). Since then, the Nachtigall mine has been restored for over 20 years and officially opened in 2003.
Today the visitor experiences the industrial and traffic history of the Ruhr area. The partially accessible double ring kiln of the former brick factory is particularly impressive. Here you almost feel reminded of old castles and medieval fortifications. A coal ship has moored in the grounds, outside on the premises. Coal used to be transported across the river Ruhr on these sailing ships.
In the exhibition around the filled up “Hercules” shaft from 1839 - one of the first underground shafts in the district - guests learn about the technology and difficult working conditions of the miners in the 19th century.
For many, the absolute highlight of their visit is a visit to the old mine. Like the miners of that time, visitors can explore the tunnel with a helmet, a miner's jacket and a lamp. Former miners tell of the harsh conditions under which the miners once brought the "black gold" to light.
Interested people get to know the work with compressed air drill and mining hammer during the mining trip and can get their own impression of how things are going inside a coal mine.
You can find out about the mining history of the Ruhr Valley in the three surviving factory buildings of the colliery. The main focus is on the origin of coal, the industrial development of the Ruhr Valley, coal consumption, Ruhr shipping and the description of the miner´s job about 150 years ago. A steam Winding engine that has been preserved can even be inspected in operation.
Behind the machine house is the outdoor area with the exhibition "Coal in buckets". A tripod was set up here, which used to be used to extract the coal in buckets from the shaft and load it directly onto carts or wagons.
A primitive booth protects the associated reel system. The facility is surrounded by various small huts with coe and lamp room. There is a quarry at the southern end of the site.
The visitor can inspect the clearly, but lovingly designed area . Most of the exhibits are in closed rooms, which is why a visit in rainy weather is also not a problem. A small café is attached to the museum.
Opening hours Tuesday – Sunday and public holidays 10 am–6pm Last entry at 5:30 p.m.
Closed: Mondays (except public holidays) and from December 23 to January 1.
Entrance fees
Free admission for everyone on the “Museum Days” Children, adolescents and school pupils are free all year round
Adults 4.00 €uros Groups of 16 people or more 3.50 €uros / pp Reduced 2.00 €uros
The entrance prices apply without visit the mining tunnel. Including tunnel admission, the price per ticket increases by 3 €uros, children from 5 years of age pay 1.50 €uros for the tunnel tour.
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